Lost in the Mountains

Drive to and away

In the first minute of this short movie, a thought came to my mind that this might be a Hong Sang-soo film, and I was right. He has a distinctive style, showing everyday life both through his characters and the surrounding landscape. Everything looks so ordinary, as if I had just taken my phone and filmed it. And yet, he still manages to engage us emotionally through the interactions of his characters. Since this is a short film, the scenes and conversations are briefer, but I can easily imagine it becoming a full-length feature simply by letting the protagonists speak more. So I can only say that this is a typical movie from this director, one that makes you reflect on human emotions and relationships.

In this movie, we follow a young girl driving her car to meet a few people she hasn’t seen in a while. I didn’t notice her climbing any mountain—apart from a little uphill road—so I don’t really understand the title of the film. My suggestion would be to rename it Drive To and From :) A car can bring you to people, but also take you away from them. You can drive alone or with someone, so I think driving works well as a metaphor for the relationship described in this movie.

PS. Is there a reason that the rating is not available for this movie?

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